Friday, June 10, 2005

Socialized medicine

Canada has long had socialized medicine, and its citizens have suffered greatly because of it (I can hear the liberals chanting already!). At "Enjoy Every Sandwich," the irreverent, occasionally obscene, and always funny Canadian blogger has some very interesting commentary about a recent Canadian Supreme Court ruling on the subject. An excerpt:

As is the case with mail delivery or killing unarmed Somali teenagers, the Canadian government isn't particularly efficient at it. In Ontario, where I live, health care eats up a full 40% of the provincial budget. If my math is correct, that's almost half! Half of every dollar in government spending goes toward health care. Even with 40 cents of every dollar going to health care, it hasn't stopped things like hospital closings or long lines for care.

In fact, doctors are essentially government employees in Ontario and have been since 1987. Not formally, or anything, but it stands to reason if someone dictates what you may or may not do and how much money you can make, they are your boss. As a general rule, people to not become doctor's just because they get to reach inside of you and play with your innards. While that's a bonus, doctor's go through the trouble and expense of medical school so that they may become mind-blowingly rich. As a consequence, Canadian doctors and nurses have been on a decades long exodus to the United States where they can make fuckloads of money and pay less tax on it.

Warning: if foul language and a little nudity offends you, don't click on the link above...

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